Fastener



R. GUYOT FASTENER Dec. 23, 1941'.

Filed Dec. 4, 1940 INVENTOR:

Patented Dec. 23, 1941 Reinhard Guyot, Los ngeles, Calif. Y

f Application necemher 4, 1940, serialNc. 368,462

s claim-s. (CLM-.258)

` Thisfinvention `relates to devices used for `fasjteningfseveral parts, or ends 'ofmateria'la such was' sheets of cloth; more -particularly," for Ifas- `tening diapers, `or infants breechl-cloth.

One of the objects ofthis invention is "topro-Y vide.adevic`e"for fastening Va 'plurality of materials `'in such a manner as to give the same "functional security :as 'a s'afety pin, having howeverfeinbodied therein additional features where- "iby dangers may be eliminated such as involved by Ithe swallwing of safety pins and any other rli'niiuries"possible with lopen safety pins. Another-object .is to' provide a device `that 1 can bemanipulated with a single fastening operation. l* v notherobje'c't is to provide a device that can @be manipulated by Aa Simplepressure without a punching? of inatenlals.` f Y l fAnother cbj'ec't'is to' provide a'devicethat will "securely hold 'against pulling 'from al1 directions "withfequal "gripping eirectz' Another :object 'is `tcy .provide a device which -locks `itself against selfefopening.. s

Another 'object is to .provide aidevice that locks `in such "arnanner that fittprotect's against open.

ing by a baby.

Another object is to :provide ."a device so fiat `and smooththat it 'cannot-harm a baby and y'does notbulgd 3 i i Other objectswill 'appear from the following discription and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, inwhich-ii Figlxl isa perspective illustrationofa clampjing fastenerv in open positionembodying thisinvention.y Y Fig. 2 is a longitudinal midsectional View of thefastener in closed position, having several curved "dotted lines to indicate possible positions of `different materials.

Fig. ,3 is a similar 4midsectional view in open `position and vwithout any indicated enclosed, ma- ,.terials. i j

3' Fig. 4 is Ia perspective illustration of a slightly modified "form, made,V ofr sheet material, cut, blanked and formed from one piece, to be the clamping part.'V

Fig. 5 is a perspective illustration of a slightly modified form, also made of sheet material, for the lever part of the fastener.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the application of this type of fasteners on diapers for babies.

Altho this new fastener has particularly great advantages for use on baby-diapers, it must be understood from the beginning that lit is not at all limited to such use, since it may find nufor other purposes;

merous applications, with childrens wear as also Most IV'diapers of today' are fastened together by means of safety pins, which, however, `*hazard in many ways the wellbeing or even the lives of the babies. i i

As this l device isofsgreaestadvantage inthe vuse `with babies or "children apparel, and its functional design `derivedfeatures particularly adaptable for uthe-use Yon diapers against pulls in all directions, it may perhaps be excused; if the following description is made as based on its application with respect to diapers.

ADiapers ofcourse, are applied in variousways so' that theillustrations given here are not exceptionall or exclusive of other-uses or applications. Fig. 6 merely suggests the `use cfonly` one `fastener as may be preferred by some people;

While Fig. "'7 indicates Jthe use of two* fasteners as 'other people may be used to apply diapers. This is merely to indicate that any number of ne'nd's,` or materialsmay be grasped `by one fastenerfwithin= reasonable thicknesses fitting into the "bifurcated end vof the4 fastener; in Fig. 6, the ends 8, 9, and I0 being secured by the one v-fastenergl I; while in Fig. 'Lathe ends I2 and I3 are secured by the fastener IIa, and the ends VIII and I5 are secured by another fastener IIb on the Vsame diaper. f

For sanitary, or reasons involving the health of a baby, such fasteners should preferably be 'made of `materials suitableforA suchV purposes,

though allite, Bakelit, Lucite, horn, metal, wire, or tenite may eventually beused.

`While the larger parts, orportions, `may be more. rigid, the tongue I6 should be flexible, pliable,` or even' elastic, or springy, so that this part may eventually be'made of a separate piece of spring-metal though the rest ofthe fastener is made ofunelastic material in some cases.

ffNevertheless, even thel'argerpartsof this `device` may be desiredfof springy material, though `elasticity may eventually beobtained suiciently by shaping the iparts `so `,thin as to satisfy requirements fin particular cases. The main bifurcate'd member I1` may be designed rather strongly though a suitably springy effect may be desired for yielding suciently when exceptionally much material is placed between the ends I8 and I9, as will be made more clear later on.

The end I8 is provided with an opening 20, for allowing crowding and bulging of inserted materials as indicated by the dotted lines 2| in at Fig. 2. y,

- may be held equally The end I9 is supplied by a spring-like member I6, that may be provided as an integral part of the end I9 when the member I'I is made of such suitable material, though a specially inserted part may be separately attached as by riveting, welding, or the likev process, depending on requirements suited for different materials used for the device.

Regardless of material, the front end Isa of this member, or tongue I6, is arranged in such a manner that it will crowd and bulge inserted material suitably centrally into the opening 20 of the end I8 of the bifurcated member I'I in such a manner as to be suitably engaged by the several surrounding edges within the opening, making such edges the real engaging edges for any inserted material. It should be understood that the material of this clip is for many purposes so thin that such edges are suitably sharp as not to require any special shaping of the edges.

This is one of the principal features of this invention, whereby the several inserted materials may be held securely in any direction against comparatively severe pull.

Opening 20 and tongue I6 are proportioned and arranged in such a manner as to leave as even a spacing as possible around all edges between the opening 20 and the tongue I6 so that any inserted material will be wedged against such edges equally securely for any pull in any direction.

This, furthermore, bulges the different pieces of several materials that may have been inserted almost equally much so that the different pieces securely no matter Whether placed in the bottom, top, or towards the middle of the bulged-in materials.

While, with fasteners that depend on the roughening on one or the other of the members of fasteners, an inserted material may be more or less securely held, depending on whether va particular piece of several may be directly in contact with such roughening; with this new fastener, all the different pieces of inserted materials are by the bulging into the opening 20 as much as possible wedged with equal wedging effect, without any roughening required.

This has the further advantage that the clothing is not unduly torn by any roughening.

In any case where a fastener with roughening is weakening, clothing may even slip, to be thereby torn only so much more, due to slipping over the roughening.

There is nothing in the present device by which any inserted clothing could possibly be so unduly torn or frictionally unduly worn ofi.

Making then the fastener of spring-like material, more or less clothing or the like may be inserted between the bifurcated ends, to assure a secure holding within the opening by the tongue for a great variety of inserted pieces of materials.

For operating the tongue I6, a lever 22 is 'hingedly, orswingably, attached to the member I1, the lever 22 being provided with a wedgeface 24 at such a relation to the hinge-connection 23 that the lever will be automatically held in locked position, as best seen in the illustration of Fig. 2.

In the forms of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the end I9 is recessed at 25 so that the lever 22 may be held therein in such a manner as to offer suitable resistance against being opened by a baby, at the same time forming a smooth outside so as to assure the least possibility of any harm coming to a baby with such a smooth-surfaced and flat fastener.

The comparatively small cut-out 26 facilitates the opening of the fastener by proper persons, since the lever may thereby be reached for proper operations.

In cases where the stamping from sheet metals is desired, such forms as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 may prove satisfactory, the hinge-portion 21 being stamped out at 28 from the larger bifurcated part of the fastener; while hinge-portions 29 and the wedge 30 are easily provided as integral parts from the end of the lever 22a.

From this, it will be understood that details of this fastener may be varied to suit different conditions and requirements, without departing from the principles of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A fastener having bifurcated ends between which material may be inserted for fastening, one of said ends having engaging edges formed around an aperture, the other end having a spring-like tongue terminating and being provided with edges and portions arranged so as to become equally spaced in all directions laterally with respect to said first-named engaging edges in locking condition of the fastener, and a wedge on the last-named end in co-operative relation to the tongue including means by which the Wedge will hold the tongue in locking position.

2. A fastener having bifurcated ends between which material may be inserted for fastening, one of said ends having engaging edges formed around an aperture, and a wedge member movably mounted on the other end in such a manner and having lateral edges arranged so as to become spaced equally with respect to the edges of the aperture of the first-named end, said second-named end being provided with a recessed surface whereby said wedge member becomes seated within said end so as to form a uniform flush surface when the wedge member is in locked position.

3. A fastener having bifurcated ends between which material may be inserted for fastening, one of said ends having engaging edges formed around an aperture, and a wedge member movably mounted on the other end in such a manner and having lateral edges arranged so as to become spaced equally with respect to the edges of the aperture of the first-named end, said second-named end being provided with a recessed surface to seat the wedge member with a flush appearance in locked position, there being means whereby the locked wedge member may be reached when in such ush position.

REINHARD GUYOT. 

